Accept: Restless and Wild (1982)

Accept, to me, is a band that has not really gotten its due as an extremely important band in the history and evolution of metal.  They were possibly one of the first metal bands to truly touch on speed metal and are a major step from Judas Priest and the NWOBHM to Helloween and Blind Guardian.  In addition, Accept's first frontman Udo Dirkschneider should be more recognized for being such an important and influential singer.

This is Accept's fourth full-length album and is the jumping off point for most speed metal bands.  That is thanks to the title track and, of course, "Fast as a Shark".  Pay no attention to the rather ridiculous song title, this is a balls-to-the-wall (see what I did there?), rip-roaring track that spawned an entire subgenre.  There are some slower tracks on the album, such as "Neon Nights", but "Fast as a Shark" is the song that most remember from this release. 

The band is in terrific form throughout the album, crafting an absolutely perfect representation of what it meant to be a metal band in the early 1980's.  The riffs were heavy and loud, Udo's vocals were powerful, despite the fact that he is not close to what I would consider a GOOD singer.  His rough, gruff tone fit the music exceptionally well though.  Accept takes the sound that Judas Priest really perfected and runs with it.

Accept really should be more renowned than they are.  They were a very impressive early 1980's metal band that had a big impact on the speed metal genre.  Unfortunately Accept kind of gets the short end of the stick, not getting their proper mention along with groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.  This album should be a metal classic.